Nutella Swirl Donut Muffins

These Nutella Swirl Donut Muffins are a cross between a donut and a muffin. They’re easily made in a muffin tin but have the soft, fluffy texture of a donut.

I’ve been MIA for the past week, and I’m so very sorry. My grandfather had surgery last Tuesday, so I traveled to Cow Country to take care of him. I waited on him hand and foot, because I’m his favorite granddaughter (I’m his only granddaughter), and that’s what favorite granddaughters’ do to make their grandfathers feel better.

I made a ton of food while I was in Cow Country. I made this Country Tomato and Bacon Pie by The Country Cook. It was Amazing! My grandmother adored this pie, so much that she couldn’t stop talking about it. She even ate it for breakfast one morning. I also perfected pizza dough over the weekend. Don’t worry, I’ll share the love later on this week. Last, but certainly not least, I made Nutella Donut Muffins for my very first #MuffinMonday.

These Nutella Swirl Donut Muffins put a smile on my grandfather’s face. He loved them! He loved them so much that he ate three of them in one sitting. Trooper, right? His exact words as he reached for his third muffin were, “Well, it’s not like I get these often, so I’m eating another one.” Go ahead, Pop-pop! I was secretly cheering him on from the sidelines.

I don’t know about you, but Monday is not my favorite day of the week. Monday means it’s the end of the weekend. No more Sunday fun day. No more sleeping in. No more baking all weekend. No more footloose and fancy free. No more late night cocktail hours. It’s back to all work and no play.

It’s a donut. It’s a muffin. It’s a donut muffin, and it’s one of the best muffins I have ever eaten. The texture is moist and cake-like, and a dollop of Nutella gets plopped in the middle, creating a fudgy center. You’ll forget all about Monday and the upcoming work week when you sink your teeth into one of these delicious muffins.

Donuts? Muffins? Nutella? These are like everything that is delicious in the world rolled up into one recipe. I love it! So sweet of you to visit your grandparents–I hope your grandfather is doing better now!

LOVE nutella and love the flavor of this recipe. I always try not to use vegetable oil when baking and sub with applesauce. Do you think using applesauce would have changed the texture of these? I’ve made them twice and both times we’ve had a hard time getting them unstuck from the muffin liners. Any thoughts?